City Research Online

The UK’s evolving copyright subject matter through the lens of John Cage’s 4’33

Goold, P. ORCID: 0000-0003-1097-8291 & Algazlan, N. (2025). The UK’s evolving copyright subject matter through the lens of John Cage’s 4’33. European Intellectual Property Review, 47(8), pp. 492-502.

Abstract

This article revisits the copyright status of John Cage’s 4’33" considering recent developments in UK copyright law. In doing so, the article makes two contributions. On a narrow level, the article argues that recent changes to copyrightable subject matter make it less likely, and not more, that a court today would find copyright in 4’33. On a broader level, the article uses 4’33 to explore current tensions in UK copyright law including: whether copyrightable subject matter is a closed list, the role of the merger doctrine, and the nature of identifiability. 4’33 therefore illustrates both the good, and the bad, aspects of contemporary copyrightable subject matter.

Publication Type: Article
Additional Information: This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in European Intellectual Property Review following peer review. The definitive published version, Goold, P. & Algazlan, N. (2025). The UK’s evolving copyright subject matter through the lens of John Cage’s 4’33. European Intellectual Property Review, 47(8), pp. 492-502., is available online on Westlaw UK.
Subjects: K Law > K Law (General)
K Law > KD England and Wales
M Music and Books on Music > ML Literature of music
Departments: The City Law School
The City Law School > Academic Programmes
SWORD Depositor:
[thumbnail of John Cage 433 final.pdf] Text - Accepted Version
This document is not freely accessible until 31 August 2026 due to copyright restrictions.

To request a copy, please use the button below.

Request a copy

Export

Add to AnyAdd to TwitterAdd to FacebookAdd to LinkedinAdd to PinterestAdd to Email

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics

Actions (login required)

Admin Login Admin Login